Suspect in Columbia teen's disappearance found guilty on ammo charges

A jury has found Freddie Grant, the man suspected of kidnapping missing teenager Gabrielle Swainson last year, guilty on federal ammunition charges.

The jury took only two and a half hours to deliver the guilty verdict Tuesday morning.

Grant was convicted of possession of ammunition by an individual who is disqualified to do so because of a prior conviction. The ammunition was recovered in Grant's home after law enforcement conducted a search of his property in connection to the case involving missing 15-year-old Swainson from her Northeast Columbia residence.

The verdict came one day after Grant's daughter told the jury she was responsible for the shotgun shells found in his home during the Swainson investigation.

Dominique Grant was the defense's only witness on Monday. She testified that she brought a box of shotgun shells into her father's Elgin home for self-defense against a jealous ex-boyfriend, and because the box contained, in part, marijuana that she smoked.

Dominique also told the jury she left the box of shells and other ammunition at the home, along with some other belongings and that Freddie Grant did not know about the ammunition.

Judge Cameron Currie told the court last week that the facts in the case only had to prove that the ammunition found in Grant's home was manufactured outside of South Carolina, if it was brought into Grant's home by interstate travel or foreign commerce, and if Grant had any form of possession of the ammunition.

Grant is suspected of kidnapping Swainson on Aug. 18, but he has not been charged in the teen's disappearance. Police found Swainson's hair in Grant's home after obtaining a search warrant, and police found her blood on duct tape near his property.

Grant faces 15 years to life in prison. He will be sentenced on April 18.Copyright 2013 WIS. All rights reserved.